Creedon's Cities

Following last summer's Retro Road Trip around Ireland, John Creedon is back in the Merc for four Irish city breaks calling on Dublin, Galway, Limerick, Cork.

The four part series sees Creedon lift the lid on our four largest cities to see how they have evolved and to see what distinguishes one Irish city from another.

Along the way Creedon is persuaded to don period costume as he re-lives our often bloody history. There's a duel at dawn in Phoenix Park in Georgian Dublin and an opportunity to ponce around Cork's English market as a Victorian gentleman.

John believes Irish cities are full of idiosyncracies, like the house in Cork that features an ancient monument as its garden gate, the 800-year-old man's body preserved in a Dublin church, or the ghostly goings-on in Limerick that only came to light when revealed on cctv footage of a burglary at the city's Milk Market.

The series is not intended as a detailed historical or social analysis. Instead it affords the whole family an opportunity to consider the different nuances that give our cities their own particular personalities.

Programmes

Episode 1 of 4 - Dublin

John Creedon is in the capital to explore how the Vikings, British and Irish all helped shape modern Dublin.

Episode 2 of 4 - Galway

The most Gaelic of Irish cities, Galway is famous for the craic, but it has a darker side. John Creedon explores the many facets of Galway.

Episode 3 of 4 - Limerick

John Creedon tries to get to the heart of Limerick, to see if its reputation as a 'hard' town is justified.

Episode 4 of 4 - Cork

John Creedon is from Cork, so how does his city shape up? Is it really a cosmopolitan metropolis, or just a very large village?

John meets a host of people on his trek around Cork - including Calum Best.